


being found

by the_nerd_youre_looking_for



Series: martin can have 1 a nice thing, as a treat [2]
Category: The Magnus Archives (Podcast)
Genre: Canon Atypical Discussions of Emotions, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Friendship, Gen, nah nvm i will b nice to martin i think, set in season one
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-04
Updated: 2020-08-04
Packaged: 2021-03-06 01:02:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25624849
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_nerd_youre_looking_for/pseuds/the_nerd_youre_looking_for
Summary: Tim has never once been wrong about when one of his friends is upset. And he isn't one to just let it go.
Relationships: Martin Blackwood & Sasha James, Martin Blackwood & Tim Stoker, Sasha James & Tim Stoker
Series: martin can have 1 a nice thing, as a treat [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1856278
Comments: 3
Kudos: 15





	being found

**Author's Note:**

> alright since i am actually feeling better i decided i will give martin some friendship

Tim watched as Martin walked away, doing his rounds with everyone's tea. Something was wrong, no matter what he'd said. It was how his smile didn't really reach his eyes, and how his eyes just looked _sad,_ and the little shake in his voice. Tim wasn't going to press Martin about it, not right this moment. But he didn't want to just let it go either. He _couldn't_ just let it go, that was how Tim operated. 

Martin dropped off Sasha's mug, and Tim gave her a Look (one of those "we've gotta talk" looks) and then glanced pointedly at his phone. Sasha nodded and went back to her work, and Tim could see her subtly turn her phone off silent. He waited until Martin was off in Jon's office to pick up his phone and send her a text.

**Tiny Tim:** ok sash smth is up with martin :(

 **Tiny Tim:** he looks sad 

**Smarties:** Oh who hurt our boy :(

 **Smarties:** If it's jon I'll kill him fr 

**Tiny Tim:** idk babe he literally hasnt said a word to jon yet 

**Tiny Tim:** i mean jon makes me sad bcus he assigns me work but 

**Smarties:** Yeah yeah I get you I get you

 **Smarties:** What are we gonna do :(

 **Tiny Tim:** hostage situation @ lunch, we just corner him and give him free therapy or smth 

**Tiny Tim:** foolproof

 **Smarties:** Ok tim :/ idk like we dont wanna actually upset him more?????? 

**Smarties:** We are not gonna gang up on him and be like oh martin we're locking you in here until you spill all your emotional baggage 

**Tiny Tim:** damn :/ yeah when ur right ur right 

**Tiny Tim:** but still 

**Smarties:** Cant we just like talk to him at lunch and maybe itll come up??? Or bring it up in a normal manner???

 **Tiny Tim:** sasha i could marry u for that ur so smart ily

 **Smarties:** Yeah I am <3

 **Smarties:** But like you do the emotional talking i am so bad at that 

**Smarties:** Im moral support

 **Tiny Tim:** its ok queen we cant all b good at everything <3

 **Tiny Tim:** alright project Give Martin Free Therapy Bcus He Deserves It is a go! 

Tim sets his phone down and gives Sasha a smile and a thumbs-up, and she returns it a second later. He settles into his work and tries to ignore the slight pounding in his chest. He's done this type of stuff before, loads of times with Danny. Sasha and Jon too, back in Research and even sometimes now. He's good at it, good at getting someone to open up and good at helping them through it. That's the gifts a guy gets being a big brother, he always says. But he does not know Martin as well as the others, so he isn't sure what to expect. The first time always sucks for everyone, since he doesn't know what he's getting into and that's just not an ideal situation to be opening up to. But, as Sasha so wonderfully put it, getting Free Tim Therapy was basically a rite of passage when you were his friend, and Tim was not going to leave Martin out of the experience.

_____

At around noon, Tim notices Sasha get up and go for the break room. She makes a little announcement that she'll be eating if anyone needs her, and that's that. He waits a minute, finishes typing up his paragraph, then slumps down in his chair a bit and stretches. "Yeah, I could go for lunch as well." He says, shooting a quick glance at Martin. The other man just nods and smiles up at him before going back to his work. 

Well. Whatever. He had to eat at some point. Tim hummed a little tune on the short walk to the break room. Sasha was already eating at the small table, some pasta dish she must've made at home. She smiled and waved at him as he pulled out his takeout bag. 

"Fine dining today, huh?" Sasha teased, pointing her fork at his plastic Olive Garden bag.

Tim stuck out his tongue and sat down at his usual spot next to her. "Not all of us can make homemade green noodles all the time, Ms. Gordon Ramsey." He huffed with a smile.

Sasha shook her head. "It's called pesto, Tim, and I've made it like twice in my entire life."

He elbowed her in the ribs, and Sasha punched his shoulder, and they went back to eating in comfortable silence. Occasionally, one of them would make a comment on something or think out loud, but they usually ate lunch just being with each other. They kept at it for a few minutes before Martin came in. Tim guessed that he would do his usual; grab his lunch and go eat at his desk. He exchanged a quick look with Sasha and she nodded almost imperceptibly. 

"Hey, Martin!" She called, just as he started heading out. "Come sit with us today." 

"Yeah!" Tim cheered. "This is the cool kids table."

Martin glanced over at the door, back to Tim and Sasha, then the door again. "Uh, ok, sure." He responded, voice sounding tight. "I mean, I don't want to intrude or anything, so..."

Sasha smiled and waved him over. "Of course not, we asked you." She said. "Join the cool kids table." Sasha patted the spot on the table across from the both of them. 

Thankfully, Martin gave a small smile in return and sat down where Sasha had indicated without any more objection. "Thanks." He said quietly, then focused his attention on the table and sat his sandwich in front of him. 

Tim swallowed a bite of mediocre reheated chicken alfredo and took another good look at Martin. There was still that same sad look on his face, and Tim put his fork down in his container and rested his chin in his hand. "You sure you're alright, Martini?" He asked. 

"Hm?" Martin's gaze shot up from his intense focus on his lunch. "Uh, yeah, yeah. It's nothing." He tried for a smile again, but it was even less convincing than the one that morning. 

"If something's bothering you, you can always tell us, you know." Tim switched on what Sasha had called his "big brother voice". "No one's gonna judge you. After all, this is the cool kids table." He slapped the tabletop, cracking a grin. Little jokes were always good to keep the mood from getting too heavy.

Martin looked back down at the table, his face going nearly as red as his hair. "No, well, it's just..." He stammered. "It's just stupid question, that's all, so no need to get all worked up." He chuckled weakly. 

Tim frowned and let out a little sigh. "No such thing as a stupid question." 

"Only stupid people?" Martin asked, like he was legitimately wondering about it. He had started fidgeting with his glasses, something Tim had noticed as a bit of a nervous tic. 

"I don't think so." He said, drumming his fingers on the table. "If it's making you upset, it's not stupid. Ask away."

Martin stared down at his hands, face flushing again. Tim had learned the hard way that people usually need time to open up. One would think that people would know that saying "come on, what's wrong already?" to someone crying was not the best way to go about things, but Tim had been fifteen and not very emotionally aware. But now, in the present, he just reached across the table to pat Martin's arm and give him a soft smile, even if he probably wasn't seeing it. Not with how he was staring a hole into the table. 

"Well, it's just, uh..." Martin stammered. "It's just, uh...I was sort of wondering if any of you know how I take my tea, you know, just because I was making some this morning, and I was just thinking it, is all." He glanced up for a moment, as if to judge Tim and Sasha's reactions, before returning his gaze downwards.

Tim shared a look with Sasha and nodded. It obviously wasn't _just_ that, but that's what they had to work with. "Uh...yeah, sort of?" He said. 

"Yeah, I know you like peppermint tea." Sasha continued. "I think you're the only one down here who does, honestly." 

"And you have some milk, but not a lot." Tim nodded along. "Definitely less than Jon, that man is going to become lactose intolerant." That got a small laugh out of Martin, and Tim smiled at that.

Sasha laughed too, elbowing him in the side again. "Yeah, and definitely less sugar than this maniac." She teased. "I don't actually know how much, but Tim likes his tea to be 90% sugar." 

"I do not!" Tim placed a hand over his heart. "Really, Sasha, your accusations wound me. I thought we were friends." 

Sasha rolled her eyes at him, then turned back to Martin. "So, yeah! Was there any reason you were wondering that, or...?" She trailed off, leaving him an easy out if he didn't want to talk about it.

Martin tapped his fingers against the table and let out a heavy breath. "Well, like I said, I was just making everyone tea this morning, as usual." He said. "And, well, I was just thinking that I know how all of _you_ take your tea and then I wondered if anyone knew how _I_ took _mine_ , and then I thought of course not Martin, they probably wouldn't even remember to get you some if you weren't the one making everyone tea and that kind of spiraled into thinking about how no one really _needs_ me but it's fine, it's fine, because then the...the tea was ready, so. Had to do that." 

There was silence for a moment, apart from the usual muffled bustle of the Institute. Tim inhaled slowly and reached out for Martin's arm again. "No, we absolutely do need you here." He said simply. 

Martin's head shot up and Tim noticed he looked close to crying. "I...what?"

"Martin, light of my life, my angel, my darling..." Tim smiled. "I would be entirely surrounded by nerds if you weren't here." He grabbed Martin's hand gently, giving him space to pull away. He didn't. "I would go crazy. I might even turn into a nerd. You are actually the only person here who is keeping me sane. Sasha is great but she's also a nerd." 

Sasha lets out an offended noise, one Tim knows by now is meant to joke. "Ok, well, I also need Martin because if he wasn't here I'd be entirely surrounded by rude men." She gestured across the table at Martin, who looked entirely lost. "You're very important in keeping me from killing everyone in here, Martin, I am dead serious." 

"And Jon's an asshole, so who cares what he thinks?" Tim said. "Jokes aside, Martin, you are very important to all of us and if you weren't here then we'd all be very sad about it. Trust me on that." 

Sasha nodded and reached out to grab Martin's free hand. "Yeah, who knows how we'd all manage without you?" 

Martin pulled his hands free to wipe at his eyes. "Oh, well, uh...ok." He sniffs, smiling brightly. "I...thank you. For..for everything."

"What're friends for?" Tim shrugged. "I am more than just a pretty face, although I _am_ very pretty." 

"Oh, keep telling yourself that." Sasha smiled. Martin laughed hard at that and Tim stared at them both with mock horror.

"I can't believe it." He said, placing a hand on his forehead. "I think I might just die right now, of pure heartbreak." That only succeeded in getting Sasha to laugh as well, and he joined in a moment later. He had meant what he'd told Martin, he always did. And, of course, now that he's gotten one session of Free Tim Therapy, he gets a lifetime supply, if he ever needs it again. Tim thinks some people might not particularly enjoy having three peoples' emotional issues to deal with, but he does. It's nice to be able to do that for someone again. 

The next day, Tim gets into work before the others. He'll have to try his hand at this tea-making thing.

**Author's Note:**

> i love them being friends sm do u understand *shakes u hard by the shoulders* do u understand how much them all being friends means to me do u !!!!!!!!


End file.
